


I Larb You, Peter Parker

by paperback92



Series: The Amazing May Parker [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Identity Reveal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-17
Updated: 2017-07-17
Packaged: 2018-12-03 11:53:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11531673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paperback92/pseuds/paperback92
Summary: Peter was a good kid. That’s why May held on to the fleeting hope that Spider-Man had broken into her nephew’s room to rob them blind. He was a masked menace and was up to no good. But she knew as soon as she saw the back of that messy head of hair that it was her boy.





	I Larb You, Peter Parker

May Parker typically allowed herself to take pride in the type of kid Peter had turned out to be. Considering that she and Ben had too young and were practically newlyweds when Peter was dropped off at their door, he had turned out alright. He was studious, polite, had never gotten into serious trouble, and smart as a whip to boot. 

Peter was a good kid. That’s why May held on to the fleeting hope that Spider-Man had broken into her nephew’s room to rob them blind. He was a masked menace and was up to no good. But she knew as soon as she saw the back of that messy head of hair that it was her boy. 

If she wasn’t smothering the impulse to strangle him with her bare hands, the way Peter jumped half way to ceiling would have been funny. 

“M-may!” He honest to god squeaked. Usually, May would lightly laugh and tease him but now it reminded her of just how young he was. Her boy was just that, a little boy, and he was out every night risking his life.

“This isn’t what it looks like it!” Peter had turned out to be good at lots of things but lying was not one of them. “It’s for school! A project!”

May wanted to rip that suit right off of him. She wanted to find Tony Stark and kick him into last week. She wanted to lock Peter in the apartment for the rest of his life. She wanted to yell and scream and cry. 

She didn’t do any of those things. 

What she did do was calmly turn on her heels, grab her wallet that laid on the kitchen table, and walked two blocks down to the overpriced café that she had always wanted to try. She resolutely did not turn around to see her nephew gaping at her through his bedroom window. She did buy a ridiculously expensive latte with her emergency credit card.

She chose a window seat just in case Peter happened to walk or swing by. Then she burnt the rest of their shared data for the month by watching every Spider-Man video she could find, twice. Her heart skipped a beat every time the red and blue clad figure would throw himself off of buildings or flip and tumble around criminals. 

The earliest recorded one was around eight months ago. Right around the time that Ben had been killed. May’s heart sank. That had been a tough time for the both of them but Peter had really taken Ben’s death badly. That’s when he had started to become more withdrawn, at home and at school. He’d quit robotics and band after a couple of months. The chess club soon followed.

She had caulked it up to mere grief at the time. But obviously it had been more than that. May had been too wrapped up in her own grief to see.

The Avengers video was one of the worst ones to watch. She actually broke out into a cold sweat at seeing Peter getting swatted off frame by Giant Man. Boy, was she going to have some words with Tony Stark.

After the videos, she stumbled onto the debacle headed by a man the internet was calling the Vulture. There was no footage of the fight on the Coney Island but the damage spoke volumes. It was a miracle that Peter had made it out alive, let alone without a scratch.

“Ma’am, we’re getting ready to close.”

May blinked up at the waitress then looked at the window in surprise. It was dark out. She hadn’t realized that she had been sitting there for hours. 

“Right, sorry.” She said, leaving. She took her time walking back to the apartment. It was quiet and still, just as she had left it other than the take out boxes on the kitchen table and the nervous bundle of energy on the couch.

“May!” Peter greeted her a bit too loudly as he jumped off the couch. He had changed out of the suit sometime during the night and was now wearing a tee shirt and sweat pants. 

“I wasn’t sure what to make for dinner so I ordered some Thai. I hope that’s ok. I found some cash in the take out drawer and just ordered our usual.”

He trailed off as May stepped up to him and gently took his chin in her hand. He allowed her to turn his head towards the light. There were no cuts or bruises. There was no evidence of any kind that last weekend Peter had been anywhere else other than the homecoming dance. 

“Are you hurt?” She asked softy but Peter winced as if she had yelled.

“I was but not now.” He ducked his head out of her grip and looked shyly away from her. “I heal a lot quicker now.” 

That was absolutely no comfort to May. She lightly placed her hands on the sides of his face and turned his attention back to her. 

“I am so mad at you, Peter Parker.” She started. Peter winced again and tried to pull away but May kept her hands steadfast, holding him in place. “And I am very disappointed in you. I hate that you didn’t feel like you could come to me about this.” She took a breath. “I’m also so proud of you, Pete. So, so proud. You’ve saved lives and you’ve helped so many people.”

She gently wiped away the tear that had begun to crawl down Peter’s face, ignoring her own. “Your Uncle Ben would be very proud.” 

Peter lost all of his composure then. He choked on the sob that burst out of him. May drew him into a hug and he returned it almost to the point of the gesture being painful. She quietly hushed him and gently rocked them back and forth. She curled a hand into his thick hair, just like she used to do when he was younger.

They stood there like that for a long while until Peter’s gasps eventually evened out and May’s own tears had dried up. Peter pulled back first and wiped a hand across his nose. 

“Sorry.” He said thickly. “I think I ruined your shirt.” 

“It’s ok. I didn’t like this one too much anyways.”

That startled a laugh out of him but he soon cringed when he noticed her own red rimmed eyes. “I’m sorry, May.” He whispered. “I wanted to tell you so many times.”

"Why didn't you then?" May laid a hand against his cheek and he automatically leaned into the touch. 

"I didn't want you to worry." 

She smiled without any humor. "You didn't want me to stop you." She corrected.

Peter flushed guilty and pulled away from her. He went further into the kitchen and busied himself with pulling out plates and sliver ware, setting the table. May watched him for a long silent moment until his hands trembled while opening up a food box. 

"Peter." She started but he started shaking his head. 

"You'll hate me and I'm sorry May, but I can't stop. I have to do this. If I don’t then people will get hurt, maybe even killed." 

"Hate you?" She repeated incredulously. Peter squared his shoulders, as if he was preparing for more of a fight, but May took him by the hands and lead him to the couch before he could say any more. She sat him down beside her, maneuvering so that she could lightly grip his face once more. 

"Listen very carefully. Are you listening?" She waited until he nodded. "I could never hate you. You're my boy. I will always love you. Do you understand?" He nodded again then visibly slumped, the fight going right out of him. “Let’s eat, how does that sound?”

They ate their cold Thai dinner in silence, half watching whatever trash TV was on and half warily eyeing each other. Finally May stood, taking both of their empty plates. 

“I’m going to bed.” She hesitated. “Will you be here or?”

Peter started a bit at the question, just enough for May to notice. “No, I’ll be here all night.” 

She gave him a small smile and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “Alright. See you in the morning. Love you.”

“Love you too.” He relied softly and she could feel his eyes on her all the way down the hall.

May barely slept that night, mostly tossing and turning the hours away. She dreamed about spiders and plane crashes. She dreamed about Peter laying on the beach, sand in his hair, his eyes glazed over and unmoving. 

She turned over once, surprised, to find Peter laying on top of the covers beside her. He was on his side, facing her, face slack with sleep. Even in sleep, there was still a little frown that make a home between his eyebrows whenever he was anxious. His hand laid between the space between them, as if he had wanted to touch her but had changed his mind. 

She patted his hand gently and fell back asleep.

The next morning was a school day. May thought about sending Peter on mere principle alone. She debated it over the eggs she was scrambling, when Peter padded into the kitchen. The kid looked rough. He looked like he had gotten even less sleep then May had gotten. She decided it wouldn’t hurt for him to miss one day.

After an awkward breakfast, the day was spent mostly talking. Well, Peter talking. It seemed like after months of not telling her anything, once he got started Peter couldn’t stop revealing his secrets. 

He told her about the spider bite that started the whole fiasco and May vowed to never sign another permission slip again. He breezed through Tony Stark’s involvement and kidnapping, May’s word not Peter’s, him to Germany. May grimaced through his excited retelling of fighting Captain America.

He told her about finding the men with alien technology and tracking them to D.C. He talked about trying to save the ferry and Stark taking the suit away. He talked about Homecoming but it felt that a lot of details were missing about that night. He skipped and stammered through an explanation of Liz’s father, confronting him, and saving the day.

Then, when May thought that he wouldn’t share anymore, he tentatively started talking about Ben. She watched as her nephew restlessly paced in front of couch, even over the coffee table, and spoke about the days leading up to Ben’s death. 

Peter mostly kept it together, gasping out the story in segments between slightly uneven watery breathes, until the night Ben died. He stopped mid-sentence and May watched in horror as Peter’s bottom lip trembled dangerously. He pulled back his shoulders, looking as if he was in front of a firing squad.

“I killed him, May.” 

After everything May had been through in the past year, she didn’t think it was possible for her heart to break even more, but it shattered in that instant. Before she even realized that she was moving, she was up off the couch and enfolding Peter in the biggest hug she had ever given in her whole life.

“Peter Benjamin Parker. You did not kill him. Don’t ever say that again. That wasn’t your fault. Not at all. Don’t think that, Peter. Please don’t do this to yourself.” 

At first, Peter refused the comfort. He stood stiffly, not resisting her embrace but not accepting either. He just stood perfectly still while May recited the mantra of reassurance into his hair. Then after a few long moments, a hiccupping sob escaped him and he all but melted against her. 

It took a while but he eventually cried himself out. May gently arranged them both on the couch and guided Peter’s head onto her lap, just like the night she and Ben had to tell him that his parents weren’t coming home. He fell asleep quickly, the emotion of the past day and a half finally catching up to him. 

As Peter slept, May selfishly took comfort in him allowing her to hold once again. Her mind wandered to what all he told her and it became apparent to her that she would never be able to stop him. 

Not even his idol, Tony Stark, taking his suit away stopped him. She knew in her heart that if she tried, really tried, she could get him to quit for a little awhile. She also knew that in time he would revert back to sneaking out every night. She would be back in the same position of worrying half the night away about where he was and if he was hurt or worse. May sighed and brushed a hand through Peter’s hand, smiling softly as he unconsciously followed the contact. 

She knew that could never stop him. That now meant that she would spend the rest of her life in a state of constant worry over him, more than usual. Frankly, she didn’t have the heart to stop him. Obviously, being Spider-Man was important to Peter. May wouldn’t stop him but she’d do the next best thing she could; support him.

***

Peter came home from school the next day in record time, the earliest he’d even been home that year. “May,” He called out, kicking the apartment door closed behind him. “I got milk. I noticed we were low so I picked some up.” He trailed off as he looked up and saw May sitting at the kitchen table with his Spider-Man suit laid out in front of her. 

“Hey, kiddo.” She greeted and Peter smiled tentatively back as he sat across from her. May took a deep breath in an attempt to steady her own nerves. “I think we need to set some ground rules.”

“Alright.” 

“Rule one, always let me know when you’re go out on patrol and when you come home.” Peter nodded. “Rule two, try to be home at a decent hour. If you can’t, let me know. Rule three, take a break every once and awhile. New York will live without one night of Spider-Man. And lastly, rule number four.” 

Peter watched warily as May got up and stood in front of him. She lifted his chin up towards her. 

“If you ever need to talk, about anything, I’d like you to come to me. No more secrets. Please.”  
“Ok, May.” 

May smiled and planted a loud wet kiss to Peter’s forehead, breaking the spell of any lingering tension. “Alright then. You going out tonight?”

“Can I?” Peter asked, already reaching for his suit. He grinned when May shrugged her approval and ran to his room to change. He emerged a couple of minutes later in suit and stood almost shyly in front of her. 

May took a look at him and sighed. “You’re all grown up now, aren’t you?” 

Peter gave her a small smile. “Not quite.” 

May smiled back and kissed his cheek. “Be careful.” 

“I will.” His grin was the brightest that May had seen in months. 

“Peter, wait!” She stopped him as he stuck one foot out of the living room window. “I’m going to need Tony Stark’s number.”

“Oh, really? Um, ok. I’m not going ask why. I’ll have Karen text it to you.”

“Who’s Karen?” She shouted after him as he pitched himself out of the window. 

“She’s my suit lady!” He answered and swung out into the city.

That did not answer her question and actually raised more questions. May doubted it’d be something Peter would follow up on and explain. However, just as he promised, a moment later she got a text from an unknown number with Stark’s contact information. 

Sighing, she went into the kitchen and poured herself a large glass of wine. She planned on having a very long, very involved, and very loud conversation with a one Tony Stark.


End file.
